Sad Happenings...

Since the last update a lot has happened...probably most people who still tune into the blog already know.

On the evening of Sunday, August 24, my family including Mom, Dad, Teresa, Uncle Tom, Aunt Judy, Danielle, and Grandpa and Grandma Kingma were at Ennis Lake. They were having a fun day, it was getting close to dusk and the last opportunity to water ski before BBQ dinner and then heading home. Mom, who is typically quite timid when it comes to water skiing and never (or at least never that I can remember) wants to be the last person to ski, was excited to make one more run. She got up and dropped one ski to be skiing on one. She was skiing, as Teresa told me, with far less fear than she normally has. They were in a canyon heading toward the dam on the lake as it is protected from the wind and typically has smoother water. The norm is to get near the dam and to turn around at a slightly wider part of the canyon. Dad was driving and turned the boat as he always does. Mom went outside the wake and skied too wide beyond the path of the boat. She ran into the rock slide on the edge of the lake and died that day.

I learned of Mom's death late that night after I had gone to bed. Stacy and I contacted our residency programs immediately and flew to MT the next AM. That night was very difficult with much crying, wailing and confused and jumbled thoughts as we tried to get our things packed and to get our house ready to be empty for an unknown period of time. We reached Bozeman by 1pm on the 25th. We spent almost 2 weeks in MT planning the funeral, mourning deeply, and remembering the gift that God had given us in Mom, lovely Phyllis Kessler.

Family, friends, church family, community, and business contacts from Mom and Dad's business were great. I have included in the blog post today some pictures of Mom and a few of our time in Bozeman. I hope you can enjoy and remember Mom with me...

this is Mom at Ennis Lake on a beautiful summer day

this is a picture of Mom with Teresa somewhere in Europe...not sure if this was when Mom and Teresa went to Europe together or if this was when Dad and Mom visited Teresa during her year of school in France

Mom and Dad together, I think somewhere in Italy...don't they look nice together

Mom, Dad, and me in Alaska 3 years ago

during the summer a couple years ago Mom, Dad, and Teresa visited Seattle and we drove over the North Cascades highway



Pictures from our time in Bozeman...just a few

hiking on my birthday to Mt. Blackmore...Stacy, cousin Jeremy, Dad, and Teresa...trying to get at least a little jumping done

preparing for a big jumping pic...little hard to see everyone...L to R: Teresa, cousin Gretchen, cousin Marlo, me, Dad, cousin Eugen, cousin Tucker, cousin Anna, and cousin Heidi

and with all of our feet off the ground! Pretty good!

Mom was great and we will miss her greatly. Please pray for us to continue taking comfort in Mom being home with Jesus in Heaven and that we will be strengthened by God to continue to function while remember Mom and being thankful that God gave her to us for her 53 years of life...God Bless, KON